The Warrumbar

On the day man first walks on the moon, thirteen-year-old Robbie Brennan meets Moses, an old man camped by the side of the road. Over the following months, Robbie is drawn to Moses’ stories — tales of hardship, war, and redemption — unearthing a past entwined with his own. When Robbie learns that Moses grew up at the Mission, the Aboriginal reserve that once existed on the outskirts of town, with his mother Delsie, Robbie’s understanding of his family’s history and identity is forever changed.

At home, Robbie must navigate the unpredictable wrath of his beloved but sometimes violent father, a man whose temper keeps the household in a constant state of anxiety. But when Robbie witnesses a tragic event at the Warrumbar dam, his world is shaken further. Haunted by his past in the boys' home and terrified of the consequences, he faces a choice: speak the truth and risk everything, or stay silent and carry the burden forever.

But in a small country town where a boy like Robbie — poor, on society’s margins, and with ‘some of that black blood in him’ — is rarely believed, does the truth matter? Set against the backdrop of 1969 Australia, The Warrumbar is a compelling coming-of-age story about love, injustice, and the courage it takes to do what’s right.